When Worlds Collide
by melzabelza
Summary: International pro-wrestling sensation Antonio Cesaro meets the all American Bethany Adams who knows nothing about the world of wrestling. They are both immediately smitten with each other, opposites attract, but can they last forever? Antonio Cesaro OC, other WWE/NXT Superstars and Divas to make appearances later. Insert typical disclaimers here and remember this is all for fun.
1. Knight in Shining Armor

Chapter 1 -

Bethany Adams looked at the flyer that was in her mail slot and sighed, Steve's Sports and Collectibles was having another autograph signing. Three WWE superstars this time, last month it was a Hall of Fame baseball player and before that a local favorite football player. At least they had the decency to let the other shop owners on the block know this time. The coffee shop, bakery and pizza place would make a small fortune that day, but her little yarn shop, Heart Strings, would be deserted. She had two women who worked with her, both middle aged with grown children who just enjoyed the time around the shop and helping the customers select the perfect yarn and the perfect pattern for the perfect projects. She was thrilled with the success of her little shop, but every time Steve's had an event, she lost an entire day of business as the fans would line up outside her door and block her entrance all day long. She decided to give her tiny staff the day off and she would remain open just in case but planned on catching up on inventory.

* * *

Antonio Cesaro, Daniel Bryan and Alberto Del Rio were dropped off at the back entrance of Steve's Sports and Collectibles for their meet and greet session, it was their third appointment of the day and they were already exhausted. Being the company's three top champions, they always drew quite the crowd, their hands already ached from the previous autograph session. They could hear the buzz of the fans who were waiting out front and groaned, the crowd sounded rowdy and they could tell there wasn't much security.

The signing was every bit as unorganized as they anticipated, the three men were exhausted as they made their way back to their car. They stepped out the back door and froze dead in their tracks, there were at least 20 people swarmed around their car, there was no way they would be able to get in and make a quick getaway.

* * *

Beth strolled into her shop a little later than usual, she knew from experience that the fans would be lined up outside her door bright and early, so there was no way any of her customers would be able to sneak in before the bedlam started. She was dressed in a pair of faded blue jeans worn out at the knees and black tank top with a hoodie over it. She kicked off her shoes and slid her feet into her slippers as soon as she entered the back area.

She was still in her back store room organizing her inventory, she had just finished admiring a shipment of gorgeous hand dyed wools that she had to log and price before she set up a display in the front. She had the back door open to let in some fresh air and the radio on to drown out the noisy fans outside. She climbed up on the ladder to put away the giant box of personalized shopping bags when three massive men came running into her back room. She yelped in shock, felt the ladder start to wobble as she struggled not to drop the box on their heads and she lost her balance and went tumbling down into a pair of very strong and very muscular arms just as her box crashed to the floor.

"Sorry, we didn't mean to startle you," the man said smiling. She looked at him and was completely speechless, his voice was soft and he had an accent, she couldn't place it, but it was definitely European.

"Amigo, you can put her down now," the dark haired one said chuckling.

He gently let her down and the furry one said, "I'm sorry we barged in here, we were doing a meet and greet next door and our car is completely blocked in by crazy fans."

Beth somehow managed to find her voice again, "Ahh so you are the superstars that Steve brought in for this month's meet and greet."

"Bonita, you do not know who we are?" The dark haired one asked.

She shook her head, amused by the stunned looks on their faces. "Well, then I guess I'll start," she said, "My name is Beth and you are standing in the stock room of Heart Strings, my yarn shop. Your little meet and greet shut me down for the day so I am getting caught up on inventory."

"I'm Daniel Bryan," the furry one answered, "My Mexican friend is called Alberto Del Rio and your knight in shining armor is the Swiss Superman Antonio Cesaro."

"Well, you are welcome to hide out here until the crowd gets bored, but one of you is going to have to put that box on the floor up on that shelf," she said pointing to the top shelf.

"It would be my pleasure, mi amor," Alberto said taking the box and climbing the ladder.

She shook her head and went to start a pot of coffee, "You guys look wiped and I could use a break. Coffee sound good? If not, I have tea as well."

The three men all agreed that coffee sounded perfect. Antonio couldn't take his eyes off her as she walked across the room, those jeans fit her like a glove hugging her in all the right places and her long brown hair was twisted up into a messy bun secured with a stick. And she smelled delectable, a combination of scents he couldn't put his finger on.

Bryan punched Antonio in the shoulder, "Man, quit drooling. Go talk to her or something. Use that European charm on her," he said breaking him out of his trance.

"Can I help you with anything?" he asked, his voice sent chills down her spine.

She looked up at him, and had to struggle not to get lost staring into his brown eyes. "Um, yeah, there are some mugs hanging over the sink there."

"You have quite the coffee set up back here for a yarn shop," he said admiring her top of the line cafe stand.

"Oh yeah, we have craft and coffee nights, I'm perfectly happy with regular old coffee, but some of the others really like cappuccino and fancy stuff. And of course, I always have herbal tea, never underestimate the power of a good cup of tea."

"Regular old coffee is perfect, although I can't resist an espresso every now and then." he said smiling.

Beth showed them to what she called her "Craft Corner" where she had cozy mismatched chairs and couches, "This is where we do our group crafting, please, have a seat."

They sat down with their coffee and waited for the crowd to get tired of waiting for the three men to reappear outside. They chatted comfortably, with the three men teasing each other and Beth giving them tips for local restaurants and bars. The men spent a lot of time in the area, with Antonio currently living about a half an hour away in Tampa. Beth had no idea there were so many wrestlers living and training so close to her home. Finally the noise outside died down and the coast was clear. Daniel and Alberto thanked Beth for the coffee and headed out to the car, Antonio hung back.

"Do you have one of those coffee and craft nights tonight?" He asked.

"Oh no, not on a Friday night! No one would come." She said gathering up the dirty mugs.

"Maybe you are free for dinner?"

She looked at him wide eyed and stuttered a little before answering, "Um, yeah, of course, I mean, sure that sounds great."

"Excellent, let me drop Daniel and Alberto off at their hotel and I'll pick you up in an hour or so?"

"Sounds perfect. I live upstairs so, I'll be here."

* * *

"Dinner was great, Antonio, thanks so much," she said as he walked her to her front door. She was flabbergasted by how chivalrous he was - he held the car door for her, pulled out her chair at the restaurant, and even hooked his arm so she was resting her hand on his very well developed biceps, she had to resist the urge to feel up his whole arm. The whole evening was like something out of an old romance novel or a black and white movie.

"I have to fly up north for a few days, but I will be back in Tampa next week. Can I call you when I am in town?" he asked.

She nodded her head, "Absolutely," she said looking up at him.

He put his arm around her waist and leaned down and placed a sweet kiss on her lips. She smiled and he pulled her closer, kissing her more passionately as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He dragged the tip of his tongue across the seam of her lips and she instantly parted them, allowing him to explore her mouth with his tongue. She stood up on her tip toes, pressing her chest against his and deepening the kiss, moaning into his mouth. After a few moments, he reluctantly pulled away so they could both catch their breath, he twirled a strand of her hair around his finger.

"Good night, Prinzessin. Thank you for a wonderful evening." He said as he released her.

"Um, good night, and thank you," She stammered.

He watched as she unlocked her door and went inside, she peeked through the blinds and watched him get back into his car. Did he really call her Prinzessin? She was swooning like a teenager.


	2. Just Another Wednesday

A few weeks had gone by and Beth couldn't be happier. Her shop was thriving more than anyone thought it ever could, thanks to the loyal local population and Beth's online promoting. Her craft and coffee night crew was focusing on making preemie hats and blankets for the children's hospital in Tampa. When the ten of them got together for 2 hours, they could make at least two hats a piece. One of her assistants, Ashley, was currently researching other organizations that wanted handmade donations. Everyone told her that a high end yarn shop would flounder and that she should consider expanding to include other crafting supplies, but Beth proved them all wrong with the help of Ashley, Sara, Tumblr, Twitter, Pintrest and Facebook. Their charity work was also featured in the area newspapers and on the local news channels when there were slow news days, the cheesy headlines made her cringe, but they brought people into the shop, so who was she to complain?

Then there was her personal life, she was nervous leaving New York and moving to Florida where she had no family and no friends, but it was also part of the allure. Leave all the bad memories behind and start new. And how can you be sad when you are surrounded by sunshine and gorgeous yarns? And, who can forget her gorgeous boyfriend? The man who magically appeared in her life and almost literally swept her off her feet. By nature of his work, they had no choice but to take things slowly and that was more than OK with Beth, they spoke or texted almost every day and whenever he was home, they had either lunch or dinner together.

It was early afternoon on Wednesday and she was working with one of her favorite customers, Mrs. Benson was a sweet old lady who loved to flip through the pattern books and try different patterns. Her son Todd dropped her off every Wednesday around noon and Beth sat with her and either admired her current work in progress, WIP as the crafters liked to say, or helped her pick out her next pattern. Today Beth and Mrs. Benson were flipping through a book of sweater patterns over cups of herbal tea trying to pick the best pattern for her granddaughter.

* * *

Antonio parked across the street from Heart Strings and downed the last of his Starbucks coffee, leaving the empty cup in the cup holder next to him. He got out and straightened his shirt before jogging across the street. Each week that went by, he missed Beth more and more when he was on the road. At first they chatted every other day or so and he would take her out to dinner on Thursday after he unpacked and did laundry and caught up on mail and messages. Now, he made a point to hear her voice every day and drove straight to her shop from the airport.

He paused just inside the door to shop and watched Beth sitting with a customer. He recognized the old lady, he saw her most every week, he loved watching the excitement on their faces as they discussed the things they were working on.

"Oh!" Beth exclaimed, "Mrs. Benson, I have the perfect yarn for this pattern!"

Mrs. Benson pulled the book closer to her to examine the pattern, "Well, I do have the right needles for it. Do you have the yarn in purple?"

"Of course I do! Let me grab it for you."

"Take your time, dear, you may want to greet your gentleman suitor first," she said smiling.

Beth looked towards the door in surprise, she didn't even hear anyone come in. Before she could even respond to Mrs. Benson, Antonio crossed the store and pulled her into his arms for a rib crushing hug.

"I missed you Prinzessin," he said softly in her ear.

"I missed you too," she gasped, "can't breathe, squishing my lungs…"

"Oh!" he quickly let her go and smiled sheepishly, "Sorry."

She giggled and stood on her tip toes to give him a kiss on the cheek, "Give me a few minutes, Mrs. Benson and I are in the middle of something."

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Benson," Antonio said leaning over to look at the pattern book, "Can I get you some more tea?"

"Oh, no thank you sir, your sweetheart is going to bring me some yarn, I have a rule about liquids near yarns."

"Makes perfect sense to me," he agreed.

"Here it is," Beth said as she reappeared with her arms full of different shades of purple yarns. "This one is wool, and this lighter one is merino cotton. Both are very soft and both are hand dyed. I also have a silk yarn, but the skeins are very small, better suited for scarves."

She spread the yarn out on the table in front of them and Mrs. Benson carefully examined the yarns while referencing the pattern. "I like the cotton one. I think I'll need 5 skeins, so give me 6 just in case."

"Sure thing, I'll wrap them up for you."

"And save me some of that silk yarn, I think I have the perfect pattern at home," she called after her.

"Oh, excellent, bring the pattern next week, I'd love to see it."

"She's such a dear," Mrs. Benson said to Antonio. "She really does want to see the pattern. She's not just humoring an old lady."

"She's a beautiful person, my Prinzessin."

"You treat her right, young man," she said narrowing her eyes at him, "I may be old, but knitting needles are excellent weapons."

"Here you go, Mrs. Benson!" Beth said before Antonio could respond. He nodded at the old woman to show that he understood that she was serious, because boy, was she serious.

"Oh look, perfect timing, my handsome and single son is back to take me home, Todd, settle the bill with Beth please."

"What's the damage this time," the young man jokingly asked.

After they left the store Antonio turned to Beth, "Just so you know, Mrs. Benson threatened me with a pair of knitting needles."

"What? Never, she's such a sweet woman," Beth said, "Are you sure you…"

"Oh trust me, Prinzessin, my English is good enough to understand that. She said that I better treat you right, or else…"

Beth giggled, "That's so sweet! She's one of my favorite customers. She's 80 years old and knits faster than anyone I've ever met."

"I am also getting the feeling she would like to pair you up with her son…"

"Todd? Really? Why?" Beth asked as she restocked all the yarns she pulled out for Mrs. Benson.

"Maybe because she referred to him as her handsome and single son?" He said raising an eyebrow at her.

"Sounds like someone is jealous," Ashley said coming in from the back room.

"I, who? Me? Jealous… I was just, you know…" Antonio said looking around.

"Sweetie, I'm back from lunch, take your man out and show him that he has nothing to worry about," Ashley said to Beth. "Oh, what did Mrs. Benson pick out?"

"She bought SIX skeins of that new hand dyed merino. I didn't even put it on display yet. She also asked me to hold the purple silk for next week," Beth said grinning.

"At the rate she's going, those kids of hers won't get much of an inheritance, just half used skeins of yarn… Anyway, you two get out of here, I've got the rest of the afternoon covered."

"Thanks, Ash, call me if you need anything," Beth gave her friend a hug and turned to Antonio, "I just need to grab a sweater before we go, come on up with me."

He followed her out through the back of the shop, out into the back alley and up the stairs to her apartment, Beth always said that she had the best commute in the world, just one flight of stairs and mere seconds outside in the humid Florida air. He hung back and watched her jog up the stairs, enjoying the way her hips moved and the way her jeans hugged her ass, and then her ponytail swinging back and forth. He grinned and took the stairs three at a time making it to the top at the same time as she did.

"Actually, there is something I wanted to ask you about," she said pushing the door open.

He closed and locked the door behind him and wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her body against his. "You can ask me anything," he said gently brushing his lips against hers, "But I do owe you a proper hello kiss."

Her mind went blank as soon as he pressed his lips against hers, she trailed her hands from his waist up his chest tracing the contours of his muscular body until she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her chest against his, moaning deeply. He cupped her ass in one hand and tenderly held the back of her head with the other as he slipped his tongue between her lips and passionately explored her mouth, her scent filling his nose making him lightheaded. He groaned and wrapped her legs around his waist, gripping her ass tightly and carried her across the room to the sofa, his lips never leaving hers. He sat down so she was straddling him and ran his strong hands up and down her back leaving goose bumps on her flesh under the thin fabric of her blouse. She shivered and pressed her body closer to his, cupping his face and darting her tongue against his and eagerly grinding her hips against his. He pulled her bottom lip between his teeth and kissed down the side of her neck, making her heart race even more. He gently bit the spot between her neck and shoulders and then kissed it and looked up at her flushed face and smiled, "What was your question, my Prinzessin?"

"I, ummm, I forget," she said breathlessly.

He chuckled and rubbed his hands up and down her back until they settled on her hips, "I'm sure it will come back to you."

"Not if you keep doing that!" she said, sliding off his lap and sitting next to him so she could think clearly.

He winked at her and gave her that adorable crooked little smile that always melted her insides, she swatted at his arm, "Stop! You aren't making it any easier for me to think!"

"That's the point," he said as he trailed his hand up her thigh.

She slapped his hand away and laughed as he pretended to look wounded and offended. "Oh! Um, you remember my assistant Sara," she paused and he nodded, "Her daughter is getting married next month and I was hoping you'd be able to come to the wedding with me?" she asked hopefully.

"I would love to go with you, I do have a European tour coming up soon though, send me the date and I will check my calendar and put in for the day off if I am in the states."

She grinned and kissed his cheek, "Thank you so much!"

"Don't get too excited, Prinzessin, its not a definite yes," he said cautiously, he didn't want to let her down, but there was no way he could go with her if it fell during the overseas tour.

"Oh, I know that, but its not a flat out no, either." She said, "We were supposed to be going out for lunch, aren't you hungry?"

"I'm always hungry," he said grinning as he pulled her back onto his lap.


	3. Miles Away

Antonio reviewed his updated schedule and frowned, he was supposed to have this weekend off, but now he was scheduled for two extra house shows and a media day. There was no way he could fly back to Tampa from Los Angeles and then back to Colorado in time to make all of his appearances. He knew Beth would be disappointed, they didn't have anything major planned, but it pained him to let her down.

"Hey, Cesaro," Hunter said walking by, "sorry about the change in your schedule, but we have both Christian and Dolph out with concussions and you and Jack could use the extra ring work together."

"Yeah, boss, I understand," he sighed, "My girlfriend though."

Hunter patted his shoulder, "We've all been there man. I really am sorry."

He wasn't happy about missing out on time with Beth, he missed her so much. He tossed all his gear in his carry on suitcase and dragged it out to the rental car he shared with the Shield guys. He helped Dean load the trunk and slammed it closed as hard as he could.

"Whoa. Why so grouchy, man?" Dean asked, "No Starbucks around here?"

"I have to call Beth and tell her I won't be home this week. How do I even do that?" Antonio looked at Seth and Roman pleadingly.

Both men sighed, "Bro," Seth said, "It ain't gonna be easy, just be straight with her."

Roman nodded, "And send her one of those edible arrangements things…"

"Chocolate covered strawberries will fix almost anything," Seth added.

"Don't do the pineapple shaped like flowers, always go with the chocolate," Roman said as he texted Antonio the phone number.

* * *

Beth and Ashley were going over patterns for their next beginners crochet class, they wanted a simple blanket pattern that all their new students could follow.

"How about a classic ripple pattern?" Ashley suggested.

Beth nodded as her cell phone rang, she looked at the display and grinned.

"Let me guess, its Antonio…" Ashley said.

"Hey baby," she said as Ashley rolled her eyes and went to refill their coffee cups.

"Hallo meine Prinzessin," he said, "how are things at the shop today?"

"Good, we are getting ready for crochet lessons," she paused, "are you at the airport?"

"Yes. But I'm not coming home." he said hesitantly.

"Oh? How come?" She said frowning.

"I'm so sorry, Beth, they changed my schedule, a couple of guys got hurt and they need me to fill in, I won't be able to come back to Tampa this week."

"Oh," Beth said quietly.

"I'm so sorry, Prinzessin, please don't be sad," he begged, "I miss you so much, I'll make it up to you. I promise."

"No, no, its ok, I understand," she said. "Where are you now?"

"I'm in an airport in Los Angeles. I need to get to Colorado. I'll have one day off, hopefully I'll spend it in the gym."

"Well, OK, then, but be careful. I don't want you to get hurt too."

"Don't worry about a thing," he assured her, "they call me the Swiss superman for a reason." She giggled and he smiled, happy that he was able to cheer her up before he had to hang up. "I have to go now, my flight is boarding, I will call you as soon as I can."

"Ok, have a safe trip."

He disconnected the call and realized his friends were laughing at him, "What? What did I miss?"

"Oh nothing," Seth said.

"You got it bad, brother," Dean said laughing.

"You offered to make it up to her before she even made a stink," Roman said smiling, "You are worse than Rollins."

"Hey! Just because I give her my credit card from time to time…"

"How mad does she have to be for you to hand over your credit card?" Antonio asked curiously.

"No woman is ever getting her hands on my credit card," Dean said, "Rollins is weak. Don't be weak like Rollins."

"Leighla ALWAYS has his credit card…" Roman said.

"Enough, gentlemen… our flight is boarding." Seth huffed.

Roman chuckled, "Seriously, man, seems like Beth is really important to you. Do what feels right."

Antonio nodded, the first step would be this Edible Arrangements thing, there was no way he was going to risk the chance of Mrs. Benson convincing his Beth to go out with her wimpy son. "What kind of name is Todd anyway? He's not even attractive. He's puny." he mumbled.

* * *

Beth sighed and tucked her phone back in her pocket, "OK, so the classic ripple pattern is a great idea," she said to Ashley.

"Whoa… Back up, what happened to that goofy smile you always have after you talk to your Romeo?" She said handing her a fresh cup of coffee.

"His schedule got changed at the last minute and he can't come home this week," she said. "No biggie. We have things to work on here anyway."

"Have you finished the blanket for the bridal shower gift yet?" Ashley asked looking concerned.

"No, and this is the perfect time to get cracking on it, I only have a couple more weeks until the shower." Beth said. Sara's daughter Melody's bridal shower would be here before she knew it and she didn't want to be up all night the day before crocheting like a mad woman.

"And you know Sara will have us working on the favors too," Ashley reminded her.

"Well, we did let ourselves get conned into making chocolates…"

"And Sara is boring and won't even let us make penis shaped ones. We should do it anyway…"

Beth choked on her coffee, "Oh my god, Ash, she'd kill us!"

"Please, its not like Melody is all virginal… we all know she's seen a few penises in her day."

"You already bought the penis molds, didn't you?" Beth asked

"Two words – Penis Lollipops!" Both women dissolved into a fit of laughter imagining the look on their friend's face when they unveiled their surprise favors.

* * *

Antonio and Jack met with the Usos at the arena early the next morning to go over their match for the next three nights. Jack wasn't happy about being added to the roster for the weekend house shows either, he was missing his little girl's dance recital and his wife gave him hell for it.

"I sent roses for both of them," Jack said, "and my wife still wasn't happy. My little girl forgives me, but I still feel like an asshole," he said kicking his gym bag under a bench.

"Hey now, I know you guys are pissed, but don't take it out on us, alright?" Jimmy said laughing.

"Yeah, we are just innocent bystanders in all of this!" Jey added.

"Come on, let's do this and then grab some food," Antonio said lacing his boots, he was anxious to get started, if he kept his body occupied, he wouldn't have as much time to think about how much he missed Beh. He really needed more photos of her on his phone.

* * *

It was Thursday night and the shop was packed for beginner crochet classes, even Mrs. Benson came back for the evening festivities. Sara and Beth explained the pattern and then helped their students as they worked their way through the first few rows.

"The first 4 or 5 rows are always the hardest," Beth said, "after that you'll fly through it."

Ashley brewed coffee and tea and waited on the few customers who came in out of curiosity.

Just as they all reached a point where they could talk while they worked, a delivery man came in through the front door. "I have a delivery for a... Miss Adams," he said looking around at the group of women at the craft circle.

Beth looked up clearly surprised and signed the electronic clipboard. The man left an enormous white box from Edible Arrangements and hurried out as soon as all the women started squealing. "It's from Antonio," Beth said still staring wide eyed at the box.

"Of course it is!" Ashley said, "now open it!"

They tore open the box to reveal two dozen enormous chocolate covered strawberries. The women gushed and took pictures and drooled over the arrangement. Beth heard them saying things like "oh, he's a keeper for sure! It's so romantic!" And "but have you seen him yet? Hottie!" And "They are so cute together."

She grabbed her cell phone and slipped into the back room while everyone was still caught up in the excitement. She called Antonio and crossed her fingers that he would answer.

"Hallo meine Prinzessin." His voice was music to her ears.

"Antonio! Thank you so much! It's beautiful, you really didn't have to." She said rushing to get all the words out before he had to go. "Sara took pictures and I'll send them to you as soon..."

Antonio chuckled softly, "Slow down, my sweet pea, take a deep breath."

"It's just, it's so sweet of you," she said. "Did you plan for it to come during the crochet class? The ladies are swooning."

"No. Not at all, I thought you'd be upstairs by now," he said smiling, he timed it perfectly.

"Oh! They just noticed I was gone. I better go. I can't wait until you are home."

"I miss you too, meine Prinzessin. I will call you as soon as I can."

* * *

Antonio smiled as he looked at the pictures Sara took. Beth looked stunning, her long hair loose and over one shoulder and her smile was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He smirked when he saw Mrs. Benson in the background of one of the pictures looking quite impressed, let's see stupid Todd beat that he thought puffing out his chest.

"Let's go Swiss Romeo, we are up next," Swagger said coming up behind him. He looked at the picture of Beth laughing and holding the fruit bouquet one more time and then locked his phone and tossed it in his gym bag. He couldn't wait to get back to Florida.


	4. Two out of Three Falls

Beth weaved in the last end on the blanket and did a little happy dance. It was done! With plenty of time to spare. She carefully spread it out on her coffee table and snapped a few pictures, she would post them on the store's website and blogs after the shower, but for now she wanted to send them to Ashley to prove that she finished it. She paced back and forth in her little apartment, she wasn't planning on having yet another quiet night alone, but Antonio's flight out of Colorado was delayed. They talked for a few minutes while he waited to board but she had no idea when he would land. It was almost midnight and she still hadn't heard from him, "I guess I better get ready for bed" she said to no one as she tossed her clothes in the laundry bin and pulled on her pajamas.

* * *

Antonio was completely drained, he eased himself into the car and cranked up the radio and rolled down the windows in an effort to keep himself awake and alert for his drive home from the airport. His plane should have landed three hours ago, but thanks to a thunderstorm somewhere in the midwest grounding planes, he had to wait in a packed airport with angry travelers and his exhausted fellow wrestlers. Lots of the guys were calling home apologizing to their families and girlfriends while others tried to be gracious and pose for pictures with waiting fans.

Twenty minutes later he parked the car and looked up, he hadn't been paying attention to where he was going and he found himself parked in the back lot of Heart Strings. At midnight, he knew Beth had to open the store at 9:00 AM… what were the odds of her still being awake? He was too tired to drive back to his place…

* * *

Beth brushed her teeth and turned off all the lights, she was just about to climb into bed when her phone rang. It was Antonio! At least now she knew he had landed safely somewhere.

"Hallo meine Prinzessin, I hope I am not waking you," he said softly.

"No, I was just getting ready for bed now," she answered, "Did you make it to Tampa safely?"

"Ja. I am outside now." he said stifling a yawn.

"Outside? You mean you are here?" She said excitedly.

"Ja, Prinzessin, I drove here on autopilot, I am sorry to show up so late."

"I'm coming down now," she said tossing her phone on her bed and running down the stairs. She yanked her front door open and saw Antonio leaning against the door jamb cleaning his glasses on his t-shirt. She threw her arms around him and buried her face against the side of his neck, not realizing until this moment how deeply she missed him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on top of her head, closing his eyes and inhaling her scent. "I missed you so much baby," she mumbled against him, her lips brushing against the sensitive skin on his neck as she spoke.

"I missed you too," he said pulling back slightly to place a hard passionate kiss on her lips. He gripped her hips tightly as she sighed and parted her lips for him. He thrust his tongue between her lips and claimed her mouth, trying to make up for all the kisses he missed in the last week.

She broke the kiss and caressed his face with one hand, his beard tickling the palm of her hand, it was thicker than it had ever been since she met him. She looked into his big brown eyes and saw pure exhaustion.

"I hope you don't plan on driving back to your place tonight," she said sternly.

"Well, I was hoping you wouldn't mind putting on a pot of coffee, I should be fine after a few cups," he said.

She pushed away and put both hands on her hips, "No way, no way in hell are you getting back in that car. Go get your suitcase and come upstairs, you are getting some sleep before you head home."

He shook his head and chuckled, he was in no condition to argue, he popped the trunk and pulled his overnight bag out, tossing it over his shoulder as he slammed the trunk closed and locked the car. He walked inside and closed and locked the front door behind him and looked at Beth, who was still standing there with her hands on her hips. He gave her a wicked grin and before she could say a word, he tossed her over his other shoulder caveman style, laughing as she shrieked in shock, and started up the stairs to her apartment.

Beth couldn't believe that she was hanging upside down over Antonio's shoulder, even though he was visibly exhausted, he still had the strength to carry his massive duffel bag and her up a flight of stairs without even losing his breath. She waited until they were inside her apartment and he had kicked the door closed and dropped his bag on the floor before she did the one thing she'd been dying to do for weeks. She smirked to herself and firmly placed both hands on his ass, grabbing it as tightly as she could.

Without even missing a step, he kicked his shoes off and walked directly to the bedroom, pausing only to grope her ass before gently tossing her on the bed. He covered her body with his and pulled her tightly against him kissing her long and hard while his hands travelled up and down her body. She moaned into his mouth and grabbed two fistfuls of his shirt while he dominated her mouth. He broke the kiss and looked into her chocolate brown eyes, "You are so beautiful."

He rolled off her and pulled her back against him, spooning her and caressing her arm, "Prinzessin, I have a match tomorrow night at the arena here in Tampa. It's a big match for me. Would you come?"

She twisted around and kissed his cheek, "Of course I will! Sleep now, we'll talk about it in the morning."

She yawned and squiggled closer to him, drifting off to sleep as soon as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Gute Nacht meine Liebe," he said softly, kissing her head and falling into a deep sleep.

* * *

The rest of the day flew by and before he knew it, Antonio and Beth were walking into the Full Sail Arena for his 2 out of 3 falls match against Sami Zayn. He held Beth's hand as he introduced her to everyone they came into contact with. Her cheeks were permanently flushed as he time and time again referred to her as his girlfriend.

"Prinzessin, I have to get ready for my match now, I have to leave you, but you are in good hands with these ladies." He said placing a kiss on her cheek and winking at her as he walked into the men's locker room.

"Hi Beth! I'm Bayley and this is Emma and Renee."

"Umm, hi, it's great to meet you. I'm just a little overwhelmed right now." Beth said shaking all of their hands. "So many people here."

They found a place to sit where they had a good view of the ring and Beth pulled her new project out of her tote bag, she wanted to get some work done on the baby blanket she started during the beginner's crochet class. They would be sending a box of hats, booties and blankets to the children's hospital next week.

"Have you ever seen Antonio wrestle before?" Renee asked.

Beth shook her head as she untangled her yarn, "No. This will be the first time."

"Well, this is set to be an intense match," Emma said. "That blanket is gorgeous."

Within minutes the four women we chatting like long lost sisters with Beth promising to teach them how to crochet. Antonio came out of the locker room and Beth stopped mid-sentence and stared at him, her eyes round like saucers, she licked her suddenly dry lips and swallowed a few times. Antonio was standing in front of her wearing nothing but his very small wrestling trunks and a towel over his shoulder. He was even more muscular than she ever thought a man could be, her eyes travelled down his chest to his well-defined abs and very enticing happy trail that disappeared under the waistband of his trunks, his long muscular legs made her mouth water.

"I see you ladies are getting along just fine," he said smiling. "Well, wish me luck, Prinzessin." he said kissing her forehead.

"Umm. Good luck," she said watching him walk away. She turned to look at her new friends, her neck and face beet red. "That's my boyfriend," she whispered in awe.

"And I'm the guy who's going to spend the next twenty minutes kicking your boyfriend in the head," Sami said laughing when Beth gasped.

Sami entered first, the crowd cheering and chanting for him as he made his way down to the ring, then Antonio, who was met with a mixture of cheers and boos. Beth was about to ask why he was getting booed, when out of nowhere Sami flipped over the top rope and knocked Antonio to the ground, his head bouncing off the hard floor. Beth shrieked and looked wide eyed at her boyfriend who was blinking his eyes repeatedly and shaking his head trying to drag himself into the ring. "He's hurt!" she whimpered, swallowing the lump in her throat. Sami rolled him up and got the quick pin, Beth watched nervously as Antonio backed into the corner of the ring struggling to regain his composure. Then the match took off, both men moving so fast that Beth could barely keep up, she watched with her hands covering her mouth, wincing every single time Antonio got hit or kicked, even yelping a few times.

The second pinfall was awarded to Antonio by submission, she watched in terror as he wrapped his arm around Sami's neck and all the color seemed to drain from his face. "Stop, make him stop," she said, "he's gonna hurt Sami!"

Bayley put her arm around Beth's shoulders, "Sami will be fine. Antonio is fine. All of this is normal."

Finally after almost twenty minutes of abuse, Antonio set Sami up for his finishing move, the neutralizer and won the third and final pinfall, winning the match. She didn't know what to think at that point, she was 100% convinced that both men were hurt, I mean, how could they not be? And she was incredibly impressed by Antonio's strength and athleticism and she couldn't believe the noise level in the small arena. Antonio left the ring first and paused just inside the curtain waiting for Sami who was slowly climbing out of the ring with help from the referee while the crowd cheered for him. Once both men were out of sight of the fans and the cameras, they shook hands and embraced each other as well as their fellow competitors who were congratulating them on an amazing match. Beth hung back watching the whole scene in front of her, her hands still covering her face. Bayley pulled Antonio from the group and nodded towards her, he smiled warmly and approached her.

"Prinzessin," he said taking her hands.

"Are you OK?" she whispered.

"I am fine," he said squeezing her hands, "a little tired and very sweaty, but fine. And Sami is fine too."

"Are you sure? Because, there is no way, I mean…" He pulled her close and planted a hard kiss on her lips and whispered, "I am sure, I am fine."

She pulled away and scrunched up her nose, "You are also smelly."

"You think I'm bad, you should get a whiff of Sami," he said laughing.

She shook her head, "No thank you."

"I have to shower and stop by the trainer's room. I will be back as soon as I can."

"Why do you have to see the trainer? You said you are OK." She said starting to feel nervous again.

"It's because men are stubborn and will never admit if something hurts," Renee said, "the only way to keep them honest."

"Yeah, now get moving so we can hit the karaoke bar and celebrate!" Emma said.

Antonio raised an eyebrow and looked at Beth, "Prinzessin?"

"I've never done karaoke before, it sounds like fun!"

"Then we will celebrate at the karaoke bar," he said.

* * *

Beth giggled the whole way back to her apartment remembering all the antics of the evening. She definitely made some very cool new friends and couldn't believe that she got up on stage, stone sober, and sang "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" with Bayley and Emma. It was the most fun she'd had in a very long time.

Antonio parked the car and walked her to her door, she knew he had to go back to his place tonight and was a little bummed, after sleeping next to him the night before, she couldn't imagine sleeping alone ever again. They stopped outside her door and Antonio caressed her cheek, "Thank you for coming to the show tonight meine Prinzessin, it means a lot to me."

"Anytime," she said, "and your friends are very cool. The girls are going to come to the next crochet class!"

He smiled, he loved the way her eyes twinkled when she was happy, "That is excellent," he said as he leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and stood up on her tiptoes pulling him closer and pressing her lips against his.

"Good night, Prinzessin," he said after they broke the kiss, "I will pick you up tomorrow for dinner."

"Good night, Antonio," she said as she closed and locked her door behind her. She trotted upstairs and plopped on her couch letting out a contented sigh. She had the most amazing boyfriend in the world and she was quickly falling in love with him.


	5. Who's That Man

_**Just a little disclaimer, I use Google Translator for my German. If I am wrong, by all means please (politely) correct me and then go yell at Google.**_

* * *

Beth was just about done sweeping the shop floor and was more than ready to lock up and call it a night. She may even take a quick nap before Antonio called, it was a long day and she couldn't wait to put her feet up. She heard a knock on the shop door and hurried into the back room to try to avoid answering it. Everyone knew what time the shop closed and if anyone had left something behind she would have found it when she was cleaning. The knock got louder and louder until she had no choice but to go see who it was. She walked into the shop area and froze, no no no no no, not him. How did he even find her here? And how did he get from New York to Florida anyway?

She walked to door and yelled through the glass, "Go away Henry! I have no money for you. Go home."

"Aww, come on Bethie! At least open the door, I came all this way just for you," he slurred.

She shook her head vigorously making her hair escape from her ponytail. "No way, Henry. Get out of here."

"I'll just go around to the back and wait for you. You can't hide in your little store forever."

He was right. She knew Henry wouldn't hurt her, but the last few years all he brought was trouble and she couldn't let him ruin her life again. "What do you want from me?"

"I miss you kiddo, come on, can we talk?" He begged.

"Are you drunk? Stoned? High? Running from the cops?" She asked and he shook his head no to each question. "Fine, meet me around back."

She turned off the lights and met Henry outside her back door. He wrapped her in a bear hug and judging by his smell, he took buses and hitched rides to get here. She pushed him away and motioned for him to follow her upstairs.

He sat at her kitchen table in silence while she made sandwiches for them both. She added a pickle and some chips and slid the plate across the table to him.

"Egg salad! My favorite. Bethie, you make the best egg salad," he grinned showing her a mouth full of dirty teeth before ripping a huge chunk of sandwich off and swallowing it almost whole. He ate the whole thing in under a minute, she slid her plate to him and watched him inhale her dinner as well.

"Ok, Henry, why are you here?" She asked after he gulped down a can of soda.

"Mom and Dad miss you."

She looked at her big brother sitting across the table from her and sighed, he was bone thin, his skin was pale, his hair was stringy and greasy, and his eyes were glassy. She knew he needed help but he would never admit it. She covered his hand with hers, "Henry, Mom and Dad are dead. You miss them and I miss them but they don't miss us. They are dead."

He pushed her hands away and jumped up from the table, sending the dishes flying and making his chair fall backwards. "Bethie! How dare you! Bite your tongue! How can you say that about our parents?!" He screamed.

* * *

Antonio frowned at his phone, he called Beth 4 times, twice on her cell and twice at the store. She didn't even leave him a text message.

"Relax, bro," John Cena said as they waited on line at the airport. "Maybe she fell asleep or something."

He shook his head, "No. My Beth always texts me after she locks up the store. And always a good night text."

"You'll be in Tampa soon enough. Just try not to worry," John told him as Nikki put a comforting hand on his shoulder. She smiled an agreed with John. Antonio scowled at John and Daniel Bryan, they were insanely lucky to have their loves on the road with them. He looked over at Jack who was also frowning at his phone.

"I get it, Tony, I can't reach my girls either," he said as they parted ways and headed to their flights. "Talk to you in a few days, bro."

He sent one last text message to Beth before the plane took off. He was nervous, this was very unlike her.

* * *

Beth looked at Henry curled up on her couch under one of her crochet afghans, he was so happy when she let him use it, going on and on about how proud mom would be when she saw it. She would let him keep it, take it with him when he left, maybe it would help ground him or maybe it would make him worse. Who knew anymore... She sobbed quietly, remembering everything and everyone she lost. She worried about Henry but knew she couldn't help him, he was sober right now but she had no idea how long that would last. She had a safe and happy life here, she was successful, and she feared the disaster that usually followed Henry.

She sighed and pulled herself out of the arm chair, she tucked Henry in and wearily walked into her bedroom. Her phone was buzzing and blinking like crazy, missed calls, voicemails and text messages, mostly from Antonio but some from Sara and Ashley as well as Emma and Bayley. She was about to listen to the voicemail messages when her phone rang again, it was Antonio, she smiled and answered it.

"Hello baby," she said softly.

"Beth! Prinzessin! Are you alright? Is everything ok?" He asked all in one breath.

"Antonio," she said, "I'm sorry, I know you called me a bunch of times but something came up."

"What happened? Where are you?"

"I'm home. But I'm exhausted, can I tell you the story tomorrow?" She said swallowing the lump in her throat.

"I can come to you tonight," he said

"No. No, not tonight baby, please."

"Prinzessin..."

Henry stumbled into her room, "Bethie! Bethie!"

"I have to go, I'll call you in the morning."

"Who is that? Prinzessin, who is there?"

"BETHIE! HURRY!" Henry screamed taking the phone from her hands and ending the call. "We have to help mom and dad. They need us!"

Antonio stared at his phone in shock, Beth hung up on him. And there was a man in her apartment with her. He looked up at her apartment windows, they were all dark except for a faint glow in her bedroom window. His sweet Beth was hiding something from him, and it made him even more uneasy. He reluctantly drove home and fell into his bed, setting his alarm for 9am, he would call Beth as soon as she opened the shop.

He laid in bed staring at the ceiling, his mind racing, he could tell she was upset, and on top of that there was a man in her apartment. He was very quickly falling in love with this woman but how much did he really know about her? Were they even at the point in their relationship where he could expect her not to see other men? He decided that he would show up at the shop tomorrow morning with breakfast, he would find out what was going on and he would make sure she knew how much he cares about her. And find out what kind of man was in his girlfriend's apartment at 11 PM on a Tuesday…

* * *

It was just after 9 in the morning when Beth dragged herself out of bed to check on Henry, she was forever grateful that she had Sara and Ashley to cover for her in the shop today. There was no way she could make it through the day after being up most of the night with Henry trying to soothe him back to sleep. She tiptoed past the living room and into the kitchen to make some coffee when she heard someone pounding on her door. She rushed to pull the door open before the noise woke Henry.

"Shhh! Please stop knocking," she pleaded as she opened the door. "Antonio! Oh god," she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his shirt.

He was confused, this wasn't the reaction he was expecting. Beth was wearing cotton shorts and an old ROH shirt that he thought he had lost and she was holding him as tight as she could sobbing into his shirt. Well, he thought, I guess she's not cheating on me. He placed the bag of bagels on the floor and wrapped his arms around her and tried to console her, "Talk to me, Prinzessin, tell me what has you so upset," he begged.

"Get your hands off her! Who the hell are you? Get over here now, Bethie!" Henry pulled Beth by the back of her shirt so hard that she stumbled backwards.

"Henry! No, Antonio, its OK," she said quickly putting her hands on his chest and looking back at Henry just in time to see him balling his hand into a fist. "Henry, don't you dare."

Beth finally had both men settled at her table with coffee and bagels, although she thought it was wise to keep sharp objects out of their reach.

"Henry, this is Antonio. He is my boyfriend. Antonio, Henry is my big brother," she said nervously.

"Bethie, do mom and dad know about him?" Henry asked eyeballing Antonio.

"Oh for fuck's sake Henry! Would you get it through your thick skull! Mom and Dad are dead. Gone. Not here anymore. Angels in heaven. DEAD!" she said pounding her fist on the table making all their coffee cups jump.

Antonio looked at her in shock, she raised her voice, swore and spilled coffee, this was almost too much for him to comprehend. He gently squeezed her hand and wiped the spilled coffee off the table.

"You need help, Henry, let me get you help. You can't keep going on like this," she cried as he stormed back into the living room, stuffing his few belongings in his bag.

"I don't need help. Coming here was a mistake. I'm sorry Bethie," he said.

She folded the afghan and held it out to him, he took it and stuffed it in his bag. "Take some food," she whispered.

He shook his head sadly and turned towards the door, "How will you get home?"

"The same way I got here. Don't worry about me Bethie, not that you ever did," he said closing the door behind him.

Beth sunk into the couch and started sobbing, Antonio quickly sat down next to her and pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her and whispering soothing words in both English and German.

"I owe you an explanation," she said softly.

She took a deep breath and started talking, her voice still shaky, but she had to get it all out all at once. "OK, so Henry is my brother. About four years ago, our parents died in a car crash, drunk driver, Henry was in the car with them, I was following behind. We were coming home from a family dinner. I watched the whole thing happen in front of me like it was a movie and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I managed to get Henry out of the car, but Mom and Dad, they were already gone. And then the car burst into flames. Henry never accepted it, obviously. We both had nightmares for months, he started drinking, then smoking, then hard drugs, things I don't even want to know about. I tried to get him help, but he kept leaving rehab and getting into trouble. He sold off family heirlooms to buy drugs, got into fights, got arrested, even pretended he was homeless. But he always came back to me, crying that Mom and Dad were worried. I finally couldn't take it anymore and I left, I packed up everything, sold their house and moved from New York to Florida. I found Heart Strings, it was struggling when I bought the business and the building, but in the last year, I made it something special. And then he showed up last night, I think he hitchhiked his way down here. He's in even worse shape than he was when I left." She took another deep breath and looked at Antonio for the first time since he came in, and started crying all over again, "oh Antonio! I don't know if I will ever see him again! But he won't let me help him!" She buried her face in his shirt again and wept.

He didn't know what to say, his poor Prinzessin, sobbing her heart out and there was nothing he could do, how could he tell her that everything would be OK? And he thought she was cheating on him, god he was an idiot.

"Bitte meine Liebe nicht weinen. Please don't cry," he whispered in her ear as he held her tightly. They sat like that for hours.

"Prinzessin, I have a confession to make," he said sheepishly when she had finally relaxed. She looked up at him with red puffy eyes and his heart broke. "I am so sorry, I jumped to conclusions, I thought you were cheating on me."

He watched her face, she went from shocked to angry, "Antonio! Really? How could you think that I... Oh. Well, the man in my apartment, huh?"

He nodded apologetically, she put her hand on his cheek and kissed his lips softly. "I would never cheat on you," she said seriously, "but in this case, I can see why you would think that. Please trust me."

"I do, meine Prinzessin. I do trust you," he said as he captured her lips.


End file.
